Oakland's Andrew Hatch defies age at 114

OAKLAND -- A visit with Andrew Hatch confirms the old axiom that age is just a number. For him it's a big number, to be sure: 114, as of Sunday.

But even triple digits have little bearing on Hatch's day-to-day life in his downtown Oakland senior residence. Numerals have no effect on his broad smile when family and friends arrive. And vital statistics certainly couldn't come between him and a big slice of cake at his birthday party Saturday afternoon.

"This is good," he said of the cake, tipping his bright blue "Obama" cap to pose for a photo, then deftly maneuvering his motorized cart to a prime spot in the lobby of The San Pablo senior community to settle down for a bite. "I don't like a fuss, but this is all right," he said.

He should be used to such fussing by now. His daughter, Delane Sims, of Oakland, and her family always celebrate the day. He typically receives proclamations from the city and local officials. On top of that, this newspaper has written about Hatch since he turned 107 because, well, we thought he was old then: a man who has lived in three centuries, witnessing earthquakes, wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, advances in technology, radio, movies, television and computers.

And though his memory is slipping a bit now and his hearing is poor, Hatch is as healthy as ever. Family members drop by daily to check in, and he gets daily deliveries from Meals on Wheels, but Hatch still lives in his own unit, still does his own laundry, still goes "to town" nearly every day on his cart, heading to Walgreens to pick up his favorite treats: Juicy Fruit gum and Nutter Butters.

He loves to talk politics with fellow residents, and is all set to vote in the November election. As his cap reveals, Hatch loves President Barack Obama and was delighted to receive a letter on White House stationery in honor of his special day, signed by the president and first lady.

"Every time I can look around, I'll vote for him," Hatch said.

Born in Louisiana on Oct. 7, 1898, Hatch is now four years into supercentenarian range, an exclusive club of those who've hit 110 and beyond. He's likely the oldest man in the state and maybe even the nation, but that can't be officially verified. Despite decades' worth of driver's licenses, work permit cards and other proofs of his age, Hatch doesn't have certified birth records because documentation for African-Americans in the South was poor in the late 19th century. So his family hasn't been able to get him listed by Guinness World Records or the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks longevity.

There are 67 supercentenarians (63 women and four men) verified by the GRG. Besse Cooper, of Georgia, 116, is listed as the oldest person in the world. The oldest man is Jiroemon Kimura, 115, of Japan. The oldest man in the U.S. is another Californian who is 111, but Hatch says, "That fella's just a youngster."

Hatch, whose family moved to Houston when he was a child, had two sisters and five brothers -- all gone now. When he was a young man, he'd take the train out to visit his grandmother in Oakland. He learned locksmithing along the way, traveled for years as a merchant marine, working on cargo ships all over the world -- Africa, Europe, Canada -- had many adventures.

One of those was when Hatch was in his early 20s, and he was jailed in Irving, Texas, for "reckless eyeballing."

"Apparently he looked at a pretty white woman, which was illegal," Sims said. "When they said he was going to be lynched, he got out of there -- he used his locksmith skills to escape and hopped on a boxcar for Mexico, where he stayed for several years."

In 1933, he moved to Oakland for good, working as a blacksmith, an auto mechanic and a taxi driver. Early on, he had a son, who died many years ago. When he was 73, Hatch survived an apartment fire in West Oakland. He lost a couple of fingers hanging from a burning ledge, "but they rebuilt me," he said, chuckling.

The food and cake for this year's birthday party were sponsored by Bay Area Community Services, which provides services such as Meals on Wheels to seniors. Hatch credits that support -- combined with steady love and visits from his daughter and her husband, his seven grandchildren and "a whole bunch" of great-grandkids -- for the reason he's still here. But his main advice for longevity?